


Happenstance

by 23otters



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Zutara, Zutara Week 2015, but i am just now posting it here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 16:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8924668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/23otters/pseuds/23otters
Summary: After his duel with Azula, Zuko has a nightmare and goes outside to get some air. He is then joined by a certain waterbender who is also suffering from some nightmares of her own. They talk about destiny and how strange it is how things work themselves out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first time posting anything here so any feedback is welcome! Find me at captaingallileo on tumblr! I know Zutara Week of 2015 was forever ago but whatever, enjoy some zutara discussing feelings fluff! :)

Day 1: Happenstance

Zuko steadied himself, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Just as Uncle had always told him. He could do it. He could beat Azula. Just this once, while she was off. He made eye contact with his sister, no, not his sister, she was buried somewhere underneath this manifestation of Ozai’s wrath. He was ready. Azula eyes flicked to his right, then she sent the lightning into the air. 

Things began moving in slow motion at that point. That lightning wasn’t meant for him. It was meant for Katara. Zuko reached a hand out, trying to catch the blue streak, but he was too late. 

The lightning hit Katara in the chest, flinging her into one of the nearby pillars. Her body slid to the ground in a slump. He felt her name leave his mouth in a scream, but could only hear Azula’s laughter behind him.

Zuko sat up abruptly, panting as his eyes frantically tried to take in his surroundings. Everything was fine. It had just been a nightmare. The comet had passed almost a week ago now. Everyone had survived. He sighed and pulled a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the remnants of the dream. Katara was fine. He had been fast enough. The ache in his upper abdomen was enough to attest to that. He flopped back onto his bed knowing that there would be no way he would be getting any more sleep that night. 

After kicking off his covers Zuko padded through the palace, sticking to the shadows out of habit. His feet carried him to the garden. To the turtle duck pond where he and his mother used to sit. There he sat, yanking up handfuls of grass and fiddling with the blades until the breeze pulled them away. 

“Zuko, what--” Feeling a hand on his shoulder he jerked upright and whipped around, grabbing at his attacker-- It was Katara. 

“Sorry! I just-- uh…” Zuko trailed off, not wanting to talk about his dream. He slowly released her wrist, it seemed silly to have let it get to him so much now that he wasn’t alone. 

“I was just going to ask you what you were doing out here, it’s the middle of the night.” Katara said as she sat down next to him and leaned back on her hands.

Recovering himself, Zuko let a smirk flit across his features, “I could ask you the same thing”.

“Rise with the moon, remember?” she replied lifting hand from the ground behind her to gesture at the almost full moon. A beat passed before she added, “plus, I’ve been having these nightmares”.

Zuko studied her face for a moment before tentatively asking, “do you want to talk about it?”

She glanced up at the moon, then at him and let out a sigh, “no, I don’t think I do”.

They sat like that for a time, listening to the wind blowing through the garden. Each lost in their own thoughts. 

“Do you ever think about how crazy the world is?” Zuko let out a soft snort at her words, “No, I mean--” she paused, trying to articulate what she was trying to say. “Did we ever tell you how we found Aang?” At Zuko’s blank look she continued, “Sokka and I were out fishing, and he told me-- I honestly don't remember what he said. But, I am sure that it was sexist and that it made me angry. And I just lost it, I began yelling at him and I guess that I was gesturing a lot because the next thing I knew Sokka was pointing behind me and when I turned there was this giant iceberg with a crack in it! I couldn’t believe that I had put that crack in it, but I had.” Here she paused in reflection before continuing, her words gaining speed as the story grew more fantastical. “ And then it broke open and there was this glowing orb of ice and there was a person in it, and I knew that I had to help them. Then when I broke it open there was this blast of warm air and that bright light shot out, and there was Aang.” She panted with the effort of her storytelling, frozen with her hands out in front of her as if Aang was indeed directly in front of her.

Zuko stared at her, eyes wide. He had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that. 

“And you just so happened to be there, in the South Pole mind you, on that particular day!”

“Uncle always says that destiny is a funny thing”, Zuko tried placating her.

“So many things fell into place on our journeys, I always just brushed it off. But, one little change and we might not be here today.” She folded her hands in front of her and studied the pond.

“Like if you hadn’t found us in Ba Sing Se?”

She let out a snort, “you might still be wearing that silly apron if I hadn’t come along” she snarked, bumping her shoulder against his.

“I’ll have you know that that apron was very manly”, he replied with a feigned offended expression. She chuckled at that, then turned serious a few moments later.

“What if I hadn’t been able to heal you after Azula hit you with that lightning.” Suddenly, Zuko thought he knew what her nightmare might have been about. Sadly, he had no idea how to make people feel better. 

“Hey, look at me,” he nudged her arm until she looked up, “You did heal me, and we are both okay now. I caught the lightning in time, and you were able to not only defeat my prodigy sister, but save my life. You shouldn’t doubt your abilities. You’re the greatest waterbender I know.” A small smile lit up her features at his words.

“I’m the only waterbender you know,” she replied with a spark in her eye.

“That is irrelevant,” he reported.

“Thanks, Zuko. I do feel better now.” She let out a yawn then, “well, I’m going to try to get a few more hours of sleep before the others are up, and you should too.” She added, pushing herself into a standing position and resting her hands on her hips.

“Rise with the sun, remember,” he shot at her, gesturing at the sun that was just peeking over the distant horizon.

She studied the sunrise for a moment before nodding and walking off. She then stopped, turning back towards him saying, “you shouldn’t doubt your abilities either Zuko, you saved my life. And don’t think that I will ever forget that, you’re a powerful bender--” she paused at these words, “and you’re going to make a great Firelord.” With that she flounced away, leaving Zuko with a feeling that was akin to… Happiness? He still was unfamiliar with the feeling, but he thought that he could get used to it.


End file.
